The Indian healthcare system is based on a division of responsibilities between the central government and the states. 

The central government sets broad public health policies, regulatory frameworks, and national programs, while the states are responsible for organizing and managing health services—including public facilities—and implementing policies within their jurisdictions. 

The private sector provides a large portion of health care services. Financial coverage for health care relies on a combination of out-of-pocket household expenditures, private insurance, and public programs.

What sets the Indian model apart is its “Digital Public Infrastructure” (DPI) strategy—an approach that involves developing open, interoperable public digital infrastructure building blocks, accessible via APIs, on which both private and public entities can freely build their services. 

This approach, known as the “India Stack,” has already proven its effectiveness on a large scale: similar to a Social Security number, Aadhaar is a unique biometric identifier that has streamlined access to public services and promoted financial inclusion for the entire population, while UPI (Unified Payments Interface), with more than 18 billion transactions per month, has established itself as the world’s most widely used instant payment system, inspiring similar models in many emerging economies. 

It is on this sovereign, proven, and internationally recognized digital foundation that India is now rolling out its strategy in the healthcare sector. This strategy is being implemented in particular through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), a national program equivalent to “Mon espace santé” that aims to create a layer of national interoperability based on:

• The Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), a digital identifier that allows citizens to easily access their medical information and share it securely, particularly through the ABHA App, a digital personal health record (700 million accounts created, mainly in urban areas);
• The Health Facility Registry and the Healthcare Professionals Registry, two national databases listing both public and private healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals;
• The National Health Claims Exchange, a national platform currently being rolled out (its adoption by private insurers remains limited) designed to facilitate the standardized exchange of information related to reimbursement claims and healthcare services;
• The Unified Health Interface, a platform offering various digital health services (appointment scheduling, telemedicine, and searching for healthcare professionals or facilities).
   

French-Indian cooperation, which has been particularly dynamic, was recently marked by the signing of a joint declaration on February 17, 2026, in which the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel MACRON, and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra MODI, committed to strengthening bilateral partnerships in the field of digital health (point 41).  

There are also numerous academic collaborations between French and Indian institutions, particularly in the fields of biomedical research, artificial intelligence, and public health.

At the bilateral level, these exchanges are supported by:

• Business France India;
• the French Embassy in India;
• the Franco-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI);
• the Franco-Indian Innovation Network, launched on February 17, 2026, in the presence of the two heads of state, which now serves as a key institutional vehicle for collaboration in priority sectors, including digital health.